Photo experimentation: Panzanella

As you regular readers know (especially those on Instagram - follow me - "lauralutz"), I recently returned from a trip to Europe (Dublin, Zurich, and Hamburg).  We had some jetlag to deal with when we returned, of course, so I've been keeping my meals relatively simple.  One of those meals was Panzanella.  There are lots of recipes for Panzanella (here and here, for example), but I just did my own thing: bread, mozzarella, and tomatoes.  For the bread, I tossed the cubes in olive oil, salt, and pepper; I tossed the oil-saturated bread cubes in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until they were toasted: croutons!  (Note: croutons are not necessary for this recipe; in fact, this is the first time I've ever toasted the bread.  Usually, I just tear up old bread and that's it)  For the tomatoes, I tossed those in olive oil, salt, and pepper as well.  At which point, I plated the dish.

So here's the thing: I'm not a trained photographer (obviously), and I've never taken a single class.  I have recently acquired a bunch of lenses, plus a fancy flash, and I'm in full experimentation mode.  Add a huge chunk of non-blogging, non-photo-taking time...and I'm such a newbie with all this.

So for fun, here's a sample of my photos for this dish:

I didn't use a flash here.

No flash here either.

No flash.  Just kept changing the angle and F-stop.

I got my Greenmarket flowers into the action...

My particular favorite, of course...lordy...  Obviously, I introduced the flash here.

Less flash...

Even less flash...

I started playing with the flash angle.

I tried using less flash.

Still. Not. Right.

I'm unhappy with all of them, of course, but I kept the whole series as a learning experience. And it adds to the whole experience when Adam says over my shoulder, "Why are all your shots centered?  Try something off-centered!" and Bug says, "Mom!  Mom!  I can get the white board to bounce the light!  Can I be in the picture?  Can we just eat now?"  Lordy.

As for the Panzanella, it's such a lovely end-of-summer dish: simple, light, flavorful.  Normally, I dump all these ingredients into bowls, toss it around, and serve it as a bit of a mess.  This is the first time I've plated it this way and I thought it was pretty classy.

Between teaching at Pratt and our European vacation, this summer has gone by so much faster than I expected.  This was the perfect way to celebrate our return home (and our break from restaurant eating!) and the end of an incredible season.

Eat, drink, and enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

California was great...

...but something in my DNA prevents me from enjoying it too much, now that it's over.  I'm all about Looking Ahead.  For better or for worse and, occasionally, to my detriment...

We are planning a European Vacation this August ("Holiday Road" playing in your head yet?  If so, we could be best friends), and I am in full-blown Planning Mode.  It'll be Dublin...then Zurich...then Hamburg.  Why those cities?  Well, they all have Goog offices there so Adam's going to put in a day of work in each city so that he can 1) check out their cool offices, 2) network, and 3) take a little less vacation time.  Meanwhile, Bug and I will get to goof around these cities like loons on loon tablets (again, if you get the reference, I love you).  My basic French ain't going to do me a damn bit of good so I'm learning some German (I can count to ten!  God, I have a long way to go...) and I'm talking more often to our doorman, Tommy, whose Irish accent is so thick that we spent the first six months in our building privately referring to him as "Mumbler."  Guys, this is going to be a good time.  And if you have any recs for any of these cities, pass 'em my way!

In the meantime, California...

As you'll recall, I wanted this trip BAD.  And minus the three days of rain, it didn't disappoint.  There was awesome food:

I felt nostalgic about Bug playing with the toys I owned as a kid:

Wine tasting at Boeger Winery (I bought a case of their 2009 Tempranillo):

Brilliant photos taken by Bug...but I'm biased... (all of which were taken on the gorgeous grounds of Boeger Winery):

Picnics:

Quality time spent with my mom (no disrespect to your moms, but this woman is the coolest):

And because I love this series so much, here's a Convertible Photo of my darling niece (here's the one of Bug):

There was even baking...which naturally wasn't done by me...this was all my sister's doing:

Add a shopping spree at a quiet, neat-as-a-pin Target and 11 a.m. Vinho Verde drinking in the hot tub with my mom...and you have an amazing trip!

The best part, though?  Coming home to New York City.  For the last couple months I've just been feeling a bit beat-up by the city, and living here was feeling increasingly claustrophobic.  This trip reminded me why I love California so much...and it also reminded me that NYC is my home.  I came back refreshed and renewed.  It's always hard to be away from family and friends on the other side of the country: always, always.  But I love it here in New York.  It did me a world of good to be reminded that it's not a choice of one over the other; I exist in both worlds, and I am from the West Coast as much as I am from the East Coast.  I love them both equally for different reasons, and I feel so lucky that I've had the opportunity to experience them both.

Eat, drink, and embrace where you are and where you've been.

Photographic Ode to a Kitchen

My parents recently moved out of their beloved home, and I'm so glad I got to spend a little more time in the kitchen with my family.

Stolen Moments

I'm working on a post - Miracle of Miracles! - but it's not ready yet.  Which is a way to say that I'm going to post it once I've had less wine and can proofread it properly.

It's been a busy month: visiting my best friend (aka Soul Twin) in Virginia, a week in Texas for a conference, a week of my mother-in-law (aka MC) visiting, and a week of my parents visiting (which I'm still in the middle of).  In the midst of the craziness, though, I've felt full and blessed.  In particular, we took a trip to Eataly* with MC and it was inspiring - I felt so centered when I left.

At one point, Bug hijacked our camera and started taking pictures of her own.  Can you guess which photos are mine and which are hers?

Eat, drink, and enjoy your stolen moment of calm and beauty...


* My previous post on Eataly

Photoshop

Working on this blog for the last 2+ years has greatly increased my awareness of and knowledge of photography.  But, truth be known, I'm more confused and overwhelmed than ever!  It's a big, wide world of cameras out there!

I started with a point-and-shoot, a Panasonic Lumix.  Now I have my Canon Rebel Xsi, which I adore.  But even now, a year after buying the Rebel, I'm already getting itchy for more.  We've added a zoom lens to our equipment and we're saving up for a macro lens.  I also want some filters and a dimmable flash.  

I also added Photoshop to my list of wants.  And I got it for Christmas, thanks to MC (my mother-in-law).  A friend of hers knows a photographer, and MC went to him for advice.  He randomly pulled an image from my blog and did a quick touch-up using his own Photoshop.  Here is the Before picture:

And here is After:

Big difference, right?  Sure, it's brighter in general, but he also brought out the blue of the plate and the yellow in the cheese.  And I'm guessing that even more could be done; for instance, I would love to get rid of the red folder in the background.  What the heck is that doing there?!

So I'll be playing with Photoshop in the months to come - can't wait!  Also, thanks to this photographer friend, I've added round reflector disks and a hand-held strobe to my growing list of wants.  

Now all I need is a super cute camera bag to hold it all in.  I particularly like this one:

Because we all know it's about the accessories, right?

Eat, drink, and continually learn.

The Anatomy of a Twinkie

I'm already in shock when I see food products and read their lists fo 30+ ingredients. But this photo montage takes it to another level:

Anatomy of a Twinkie

Wow. Where does one even find Thiamine Mononitrate? And did you know, according to this article, that 500 million Twinkies are made annually?!

Thanks to Ruta (@RutaRascal) for sharing the link.

Eat, drink, and put down the Hostess snacks.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Weird blog post title, right? But it's relevant, I swear!

I had a phenomenal weekend. Amazing. And you know what? I didn't take a single photo. Part of me cursed about the fact that I "forgot" to document the whole thing...

...but then I was glad. Sometimes you don't need to make sure the whole thing is recorded. There are memories. There is an emotional high. I swear, this high will get me through the entire upcoming week.

It's hard to live on the other side of the country from my family - I struggle with it daily. It's hard to find that work-life-home balance that we're all striving for. It's hard to have the majority of our friends here be child-free...mostly because I worry that we're inconveniencing them with our child. And it's hard to develop your own community, your own inner circle, and your own chosen family in a place where you did not come from.

But today was one of those days. 58 degrees - the first REAL spring day we've had in NYC this year. We spontaneously invited anyone from our "adopted family" to join us for a picnic in Central Park. Totally last minute.

Friends showed up. Lillet was introduced to those who had never experienced it. Taleggio was enjoyed by all. Bug played aerobie with Adam and her adopted uncle. I forgot that the grass areas are still fenced off so we lounged on top of a large boulder. At one point I thought it looked like we were warming ourselves on the rock like lizards. In a good way. We talked food, movies, books...and lots in between.

So the revolution will not be televised. It will be live. The moment when I don't take a picture because I'm so in the moment. The instant where I realize and appreciate that we do have a family here. The millisecond where I feel that we are right where we need to be right now. I needed this day and it was given to me.

Eat, drink, and thank you to New York for all of this.

Note: the lyrics/poem can be found here. And infinite thank yous to Amy for the mix CD(s) that brought me this song. It spoke to me.

I Love My New Toy!

Goodbye craptastic photos of previous years! 2010 has already brought many new joys, most specifically my new toy, a Canon Rebel camera!

And on the same day I bought the camera, I received a package from Lisa who was the one recommended the Rebel. In it, she sent two books: Shutterbabe and Photography. She even marked the pages that would be particularly helpful to me: food photography, light, depth. It was a double blessing: a camera and a wonderful, thoughtful friend!

So here is a mixed bag of the fun I've had so far:

Eat, drink, capture every moment! Happy New Year!